A committee--to be headed by General Mahmoud Yassin, Cairo's western region Deputy Governor--will soon be established to supervise the planned development of slum areas in Cairo's Bulaq district. Areas included in a government development plan include Kafrawy, Santo, Kabsh and Ramlet Bulaq. The scheme was drawn up as part of the Cairo 2050 development plan, in collaboration with consultants and the Council of Ministers' slum development fund. Work is expected to begin within the next two months following the allocation of the first installment of the development budget. Work will be divided into three phases, each lasting for an 18-month period. According to the Cairo governor's adviser on slum development, Khalil Shaat, the conservation plan for Bulaq--one of Cairo's oldest districts and home to a number of historical buildings--will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will involve the development of the Maspero triangle, an area full of decaying and potentially unsafe buildings. Shaat told Al-Masry Al-Youm that this area was owned by a number of shareholders, including Saudi and Kuwaiti companies and the Maspero Development Company. Once the area is developed, according to Shaat, it will include public parks as well as administrative, tourist and commercial buildings. Only a small portion of the area will be reserved for residential buildings. Shaat went on to say that new roads would be built in the area to facilitate access to the Nile Corniche. He explained that Al-Jalaa St. and 26 July St., along with Abdel Moneim Riyad Square, would be redesigned to accommodate the Cairo development plan. The second phase of the plan will involve the four above-mentioned slum areas in Bulaq. Shaat said that residents would be given the choice of either being compensated for the loss of their homes or provided with alternative living quarters in government housing complexes in 6 October City, 15 May City or the Badr district. Shaat noted that new housing units would be provided with all necessary public services, including transportation, health services, educational institutions and employment opportunities. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
